Brisket Hot Links

Directions

1. Set up your LEM Big Bite Grinder with a 10mm die for coarse grinding. Feed all of the cold cubed brisket/fat through the grinder one time.
2. Combine the milk powder, Cattleman’s Grill Lone Star Brisket Rub, smoked paprika and cayenne in a small bowl and whisk well to combine. Sprinkle the mixture over the ground brisket and mix quickly by hand until well incorporated.
3. Feed the seasoned ground brisket back through the grinder once again. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill.
4. Combine the Mexican lager, Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard, beef base paste and Heat Maverick’s Anti Gravity Scorpion Hot Sauce in a measuring pitcher. Whisk well to combine. Pour half of the mixture into the bowl of a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. Add half of the ground brisket to the bowl, as well.
5. Using the paddle attachment, beat the mixture over medium-high speed until the sausage texture is formed and the mixture is tacky and holds together, about one minute.
6. Transfer the meat to a foil pan and transfer to the refrigerator.
7. Repeat this process with the second half of the ground brisket and liquid mixture. Combine the sausage and keep in the refrigerator while setting up to stuff sausages.
8. Place your LEM Products Natural Hog Casings in a bowl or storage container and rinse with room temp water, agitating with your hands and rinsing and dumping the salty water. Let the casings soak in clean room temp water until softened (30-60 minutes).
9. When the casings are softened, run cool water through the insides of the casings, a couple of times through each section to rinse away extra salt. Find the ends of each casing and lift them over the edge of the bowl/container to easily find the ends when feeding them onto the horn.
10. Set up your LEM Products 10 lb Sausage Stuffer, fitted with the proper sized horn. Fill the hopper with the brisket hot link sausage mixture.
11. Feed the natural pork casings onto the horn. Crank the stuffer until the sausage reaches the end of the horn. Stop. Pull the casing out to cover. Tie off the casing. Slowly stuff the casings with the sausage filling, taking care to not overstuff the casings. You need to leave room to form links.

12. When you reach the end of a sausage casing, do not tie off the casing. Leave a few inches of empty casing. Then form the links using the “pinch, pinch, twist” method.” Starting at the tied off end of the sausage, choose how long you want the link to be, then pinch. Make a second pinch and equal distance down the sausage, then twist the middle section 4-5 times. Repeat this process until you reach the end of the sausage (always twisting the same direction), then tie off the end of the casing.

13. When all sausage is stuff, prick with a needle or thin toothpick to help air escape. Place on a wire jerky rack over a sheet plan. Do not cover. Let sit open overnight in the refrigerator. This process will form the pellicle which allows the smoker to stick to the sausage.
14. The next day, preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 200ºF, set up for smoking.
15. Transfer the rack of brisket hot links to the second shelf of the smoker. Cook until the internal temperature of the sausages reaches 155ºF, about 2 hours.
16. Remove the sausages from the smoker and immediately place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Remove after about 5 minutes and dry the sausages.
17. At this point you can vacuum seal the sausages for freezing or place them in the refrigerator for short term storage.
18. The Brisket Hot Links can be reheated whole on the grill, in a skillet or even diced and used in other dishes (scrambles, hash, pasta, soups, etc.). I’m a fan of slicing the sausage lengthwise and searing in a skillet, then serving with flour tortillas, bbq sauce and onions.